Today we’d like to introduce you to Arthur Giron.
Hi Arthur, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My parents had some health issues and as a thank you to the wonderful nurses, doctors, and specialists, my parents made them buñuelos. They enjoyed them so much they called to place an order. We did not have any idea how to sell or package them, but every year the amount continues to grow.
My brother, Bryan, and myself joked for years that we should start a Buñuelo business, but we could not risk leaving our jobs for an uncertain endeavor.
It took losing my job and our father starting cancer treatments to take the leap of faith. Losing my job allowed me to have more time with my father during his battle, but when I was ready to get back in the workforce, I had a difficult time doing so. I was getting frustrated and looked to my parent’s and asked for their blessing to start a buñuelo business.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Haha, I do not think anything is ever easy out the gate and I definitely did not make things easier on myself.
Let me start by saying Buñuelos are delicious all… year… long. Sorry for being dramatic, but to most buñuelos are considered seasonal treats (mainly mid Nov-New Year).
So keeping with quality and adding new items to our menu was a must, so we could operate outside of the holiday season. Brownies, wedding cookies, banana nut bread, and sopapilla cheesecake are pretty popular with our customers.
One of our main struggles was finding our audience beyond those that initially knew what we did. Word of mouth is and will always be essential to us.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a cottage-based bakery located in Southtown San Antonio, TX. We pride ourselves on baking and making traditional treats and sweets, with our own touch. As our name suggests buñuelos are the treat we are most known for.
We grew up having our Tía that made the best treats. Every year our family looked forward to the holidays just for the chance to get our share of the goodies she baked.
Since then she has passed and we want our customers to have that same experience. We want our treats to become a part of their traditions and celebrations.
My mother and brother are extremely valuable to me. They are my design team and brain trust. They are also the ones I argue with the most. I am owner and baker at Southtown Buñuelos, but it will always be a family business.
We are venturing more into corporate meetings, holiday parties, dessert samplers, and custom dessert tables for all occasions.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
There’s not much separation between good and bad luck. I mean it took our father’s cancer resurfacing and me losing my job to lead us to this. Now those two things were pretty rough to go through, especially at the same time. Turns out losing my job allowed me to spend more time with my dad and mom. I went back to school, earned my associates, and started our business.
We are truly blessed to be a part of the small business family. It has allowed us to meet so many wonderful people and their families. The community recharges our passion for what we do and we hope to do the same for others.
My family and friends are nothing short of amazing. They attend our pop-ups, events, they are our customers, and they even help when needed. I would not be able to take any credit without recognizing their love and support.
To all of our customers that became family, we sincerely Thank You and we hope our buñuelos and treats satisfied your sweet tooth.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southtownbunuelos
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1LdBU2HGpv/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@southtown.bunuelos?_t=ZT-8vhwXP0ZV6p&_r=1
